GPS-Based online Bus Ticketing System

Overview

The transport authority of a certain state has been facing issues in integrating the GPS unit to the ticketing terminal which works online. They required a solution that enables them to avail the GPS and the ticketing facility in an integrated, wireless, compact and easy-to-use terminal.

Business Challenge

In the current system, ETMs are not scalable, online reservation is not possible, and no occupancy information is available on the move. There is no way of tracking the location of the bus and no data security.

There is stiff competition from private bus operators. Due to the small number of reservation counters, there is decrease in seat occupancy. This becamea very big problem as there is no revenue other than ticket sales. Cash reconciliation isalso a humungous task.

There is no data visibility and staff utilization was also not optimal
Another issue faced by the Road Transport Authority was revenue leakage. The ticket reservation in remote areas has become a burden and a person had to travel to the nearest town for reservation.

Proposed Solution

The conductor is equipped with a hand-held terminal (HHT) device with inbuilt GPS and GPRS. He will print tickets according to the required destination. The data is uploaded to the central server along with the GPS coordinates (if required). In case a passenger wishes to book an onward journey ticket, it is possible for the conductor to book the same through the terminal. In case the bus deviates from the specified route, an alert is triggered to the central server (geofencing). During the journey, villagers can also book the tickets through the device whenever the bus touches that particular location/village.Smart card based pre-paid bus passes can also be integrated as a part of the solution

3. Increase in seat occupancy :
In bus and online reservation
Facility from ETM: as there are more touch points, more revenue is generated.

4. Increases operational efficiency and productivity. Helps in providing reservation services at the doorstep even at the village level.

5. Transparency is enhanced in collection/operations.

6. Reconciliation of cash available with the conductor becomes faster.

7. There is real-time data visibility. Online reservation facility is available in the bus. Vacancies can be easily identified on the move.

8. Seat allocation and ticket printing is possible on the move.

9. It facilitates the villagers to reserve tickets at their place instead of travelling to a place that has a reservation counter.

10. Acknowledgment and a message are delivered to the passenger's mobile.

11. Ticket issuance is done not only at the boarding point, but also at border places of town/city/village. Real-time information is passed on to the next stop on occupancy.

12. Alerts for overspeeding are sent using GPS integrated with ETM.

13. Route violation can be identified through geofencing.

14. There is an interface to the passenger's information system.

Remarks

VISIONTEK's GPS based online bus ticketing system offered the transport authority with a ticketing solution that was simple, automated and user-friendly. It enabled the company to optimize their resources and enhance their revenue. The transport authority has seen ROI within the first year itself. They expressed immense satisfaction with our product and our support services.